The Health Benefits of Holy Basil Tea/Tulsi tea helps prevent certain respiratory illnesses ranging from cold and cough to bronchitis and asthma. It has immunomodulatory (helps to enhance immunity), antitussive (helps to relieve cough), and expectorant (helps in expelling out the phlegm) properties that provide relief in the respiratory system.
Tulsi tea is Also known as the ‘queen of herbs’, holy basil or tulsi makes for the most sacred herb in India. It is widely used in culinary practices. For ages, it has been known for its medicinal uses in Ayurveda that makes it an effective remedy for several ailments. According to the book Healing Foods by DK Publishing, holy basil contains a range of natural antioxidants that can help protect the body tissues against free-radical damage. Tulsi in all forms- dried, fresh, and powdered has several healing properties. Chewing on a few tulsi leaves regularly can be super beneficial for you, but did you know sipping on tulsi tea can be even better?
Tulsi tea or holy basil tea has a wide range of health benefits that make it a popular beverage around the world. They include its ability to relieve stress, improve sleep patterns, regulate blood sugar, and prevent chronic diseases like cancer. It also helps protect respiratory health, soothe inflammation, regulate digestion, and increase circulation.
Ocimum tenuiflorum, commonly known as holy basil or tulsi,[rx] is an aromatic perennial plant in the family of Lamiaceae. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and widespread as a cultivated plant throughout the Southeast Asian tropics.[rx][rx]
Tulsi is cultivated for religious and traditional medicine purposes, and also for its essential oil. It is widely used as a herbal tea, commonly used in Ayurveda, and has a place within the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism, in which devotees perform worship involving holy basil plants or leaves.
What is Tulsi Tea (Holy Basil Tea)?
Tulsi tea is made from the leaves of the holy basil (tulsi) plant. Native to Southeast Asia and bearing the scientific name Ocimum tenuiflorum, [rx]tulsi is the Sanskrit word for the holy basil plant. While not as sweet as the basil that many people use for cooking purposes, tulsi has an impressive variety of other uses in traditional medicine, including as a tea. The active ingredient, eugenol, in tulsi is a component that delivers major benefits. This tea is considered extremely healthy and has been an important part of Ayurvedic medicinal practice for thousands of years.
Benefits of Tulsi Tea
Tulsi tea has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, digestive, stimulant, and stress-relieving properties, among others, which make it a very effective and popular beverage for those interested in natural healing.
- Digestive Health – This Ayurvedic tea has a strong impact on the digestive tract and can stimulate the release of gastric juices, making the bowels move smoothly. Tulsi tea also has anti-spasmodic effects, which can help those suffering from constipation. It detoxifies the liver and bladder, reduces inflammation, and helps our intestinal flora find a healthy balance.
- Respiratory Conditions – Tulsi tea is extremely reliable when you are suffering from a cold, cough or other illness that affects the respiratory system. The eugenol, camphene, and cineole found in this tea are potent antioxidants that also stimulate the expulsion of phlegm and mucus, where many pathogens can hide and develop. Furthermore, these antioxidants have strong anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and antibacterial properties, helping you not only soothe the symptoms of the respiratory problem but also treat the underlying cause. [rx]
- Diabetes Control – The active ingredients in tulsi tea can stimulate the pancreas and reduce insulin resistance, while also lowering blood sugar in the body. This is particularly important for those at high risk of diabetes, or if they are already dealing with that disorder. Preventing the spikes and valleys of blood sugar fluctuation is a very important aspect of tulsi tea’s traditional use. [rx]
- Stress Relief – Eugenol, also known as clove oil, is the active ingredient in tulsi tea, and it is known to affect cortisol levels in the body. By managing and reducing the levels of stress hormones, this tea can help prevent the side effects of chronic stress such as increased oxidative stress, unbalanced metabolic activity, chronic disease, and a weakened immune system. [rx]
- Circulation – A cup of tulsi tea has a significant level of iron in it, which is an essential mineral within the body. Iron is a key component of red blood cells, which transport oxygen and nutrients throughout the body. By ensuring that you have enough iron in your diet, you can prevent the onset of anemia, speed up healing, increase energy, and ensure that all parts of your body get the resources they need. [rx]
- Sleep Issues – There are certain sedative properties to tulsi tea, which are important for people who cannot sleep regularly or are wrestling with sleep disorders. Very often, when your Circadian rhythms aren’t aligned, or when your body is experiencing chronic stress, sleep can be a challenge. This powerful tea can stabilize your metabolic pathways and eliminate that stress, allowing you to have restful, uninterrupted sleep.
Lack of sleep is linked to an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. By drinking tulsi tea regularly, you can sleep peacefully and lower your risk of suffering from this dreadful disease. [rx]
- Anticancer Potential – As per the research by P Uma from the Department of Radiology, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India, tulsi tea has powerful antioxidants, which are capable of neutralizing free radicals and preventing mutation, which can often lead to cancer. Anti-carcinogenic and antioxidant properties of eugenol and other active ingredients make this a reliable way to lower your risk of many types of cancer. [rx] Tulsi is found to have an ability to prevent cancers from occurring due to toxic compounds too as it can reduce DNA damage and promote apoptosis in cancerous cells. Moreover, research also reveals that it aids in detoxification and safely supports the excretion of toxins. [tx]
- Anti-inflammatory Properties – If you are suffering from arthritis, indigestion, headaches, fever, gout or any other inflammatory condition, tulsi tea can quickly relieve you of the discomfort. Drinking one cup at the beginning and end of the day can provide relief from different ailments, as well as chronic pain and joint disorders. [rx]
How It’s Used
- In Hindu worship – Tulsi is a sacred plant that Hindus regard as the earthly manifestation of Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and principle consort of the Hindu god Vishnu. Worshipers of Vishnu wear beaded prayer necklaces made of tulsi stems, and water mixed with tulsi petals is given to the dying to raise their departing souls to heaven. Tulsi Vivah is the ceremonial marriage of the tulsi plant to the Hindu god Vishnu. The day of the ceremony varies from region to region and signifies the end of the monsoon season and the beginning of the Hindu wedding season. In addition to being worshiped at ceremonies and temples, the tulsi plant is worshipped at home. The plant can be found growing in many Hindu households, traditionally planted in a home’s central courtyard in earthen clay pots ornamented with images of deities or other religious figures. Some houses may keep up to a dozen or more tulsi plants to create a miniature holy basil forest.
- In Ayurveda – The tulsi plant has been used for thousands of years in Ayurveda, a form of traditional Indian medicine. In Ayurveda, tulsi is considered an adaptogen, a natural herb that helps the body adapt to outside stressors. The herb is used in many forms—fresh, dried, powdered, herbal tea, essential oil—as an Ayurvedic remedy for a variety of common ailments.
- In Thai cuisine – Holy basil leaves (or “kaphrao” in Thai) are commonly found as an ingredient in Thai cuisine. They are best known in a stir-fry dish made with holy basil, pork or seafood, and rice. Holy basil should not be confused with Thai basil, however, which is also a common ingredient in Thai cuisine. Both basils have different flavors profile they impart into a dish.
- In the garden – A 1903 London horticulture report claimed that when the Royal Victoria Gardens were established in Bombay, “the men employed on those works were pestered by mosquitoes. At the recommendation of the Hindu managers, the whole boundary of the gardens was planted with holy basil, on which the plague of mosquitoes was at once abated, and fever altogether disappeared from among the resident gardeners.” Holy basil is still planted in gardens today as a common insect repellant. The dried leaves may also be mixed with stored grains to repel insects.
- As a tea – Like any other tea or herbal infusion, fresh or dried tulsi leaves can be steeped in hot water to produce a tea-like beverage. If steeped on its own, tulsi as an herbal infusion is completely caffeine-free.
Tulsi Tea Side Effects
Tulsi tea does have some unexpected side effects. It leads to blood thinning, affects hormones and fertility, interacts with other drugs, and lowers blood sugar levels to a dangerous level. These side effects must be taken into consideration before adding tulsi tea to your health regimen.
- Fertility – There is some concern that the use of tulsi tea can impact fertility in males, namely because regular use appears to lower sperm count levels in laboratory tests. This isn’t widely reported anecdotally, but for men who are already struggling with fertility issues, this may not be the best choice for a beverage.
- Eugenol Overdose – Eugenol is the active ingredient in tulsi that gives the tea so much of a potent health boost, but consuming too much eugenol can also be dangerous, and in excessive amounts, it can cause shortness of breath, blood in the urine, nausea, dizziness, and coughing up blood. 3-5 drops of eugenol per day are the recommended dose, as it is very concentrated and powerful. [rx]
- Blood Sugar – The ability of tulsi tea to lower and balance blood sugar levels is great for people at risk of diabetes or suffering from the condition, but an excessively low blood sugar level or hypoglycemia is dangerous. Diabetics should speak with a doctor before adding this tea to their diet. [rx]
- Blood Thinner – If you are scheduled for surgery, you should stop taking this natural blood thinner 1-2 weeks before the procedure, to avoid any possible complications. [rx]
- Drug Interactions – Research has shown that interactions between Tulsi and traditional prescriptions happen quite often, and can be potentially dangerous.
Speaking to a doctor is highly recommended before adding tulsi tea to your diet.
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